The assessment program of this unit will be a combination of both formal and informal assessments. The informal assessments include the students’ participation in class discussion, sharing their star observations, their ability to work well in the group activities, and the completion of their in class work. The formal assessments include the students’ PowerPoint presentations and the in class worksheets or packets. But instead of checking for completion, they are graded based on the quality of work done. I also plan on regularly giving small quizzes consisting of about five to ten questions about every other week so that students can keep up with the work and so that I know if the students understand what is being taught to them.
Each lesson will also contain built in formative and summative assessments. At the beginning of the class I will usually have some activity or discussion question that will require students to use their prior knowledge. This allows me to assess what my students already know and don’t know about a topic so I know where to start teaching or reviewing. At the end of class I will also have a quick activity, usually a worksheet, which will require students to practice the skills they have just learned in class that day. It will also indicate to me whether or not the class understood the lesson.
The main form of assessment in this unit is the unit test. The test I will give students will be a combination of short answer/short essay questions. I think that this form is the best way to test the students’ knowledge because this form will allow me to ask questions that will include both high and low order thinking. I can ask for definitions and recall answers, but I can also ask questions that require students to explain, distinguish, compare/contrast, interpret figures, and apply knowledge to different situations. With this form of a test students will be able to explain their thinking and rationale so when a student gets a question wrong I will know what they were thinking of or what misconception they had.
Each lesson will also contain built in formative and summative assessments. At the beginning of the class I will usually have some activity or discussion question that will require students to use their prior knowledge. This allows me to assess what my students already know and don’t know about a topic so I know where to start teaching or reviewing. At the end of class I will also have a quick activity, usually a worksheet, which will require students to practice the skills they have just learned in class that day. It will also indicate to me whether or not the class understood the lesson.
The main form of assessment in this unit is the unit test. The test I will give students will be a combination of short answer/short essay questions. I think that this form is the best way to test the students’ knowledge because this form will allow me to ask questions that will include both high and low order thinking. I can ask for definitions and recall answers, but I can also ask questions that require students to explain, distinguish, compare/contrast, interpret figures, and apply knowledge to different situations. With this form of a test students will be able to explain their thinking and rationale so when a student gets a question wrong I will know what they were thinking of or what misconception they had.
Sample Test Questions